It was achieved without bloodshed after nearly a century of French rule. Two years later Sihanouk abdicated in favour of his father and became both prime minister and foreign minister of his country. For the next 10 years, he successfully steered Cambodia on a neutral course.
However, as the war in Vietnam escalated, Sihanouk became more critical of America, accusing Washington-supported South Vietnamese troops of repeated incursions into Cambodian territory. Meanwhile, Washington accused Sihanouk of allowing North Vietnamese troops passage through his country. Sihanouk went into exile in Beijing and threw his support behind the Khmer Rouge guerrillas who were emerging as a considerable fighting force. He was criticised for acting as the chief apologist for the murderous Khmer Rouge regime and its leader Pol Pot.
Later Sihanouk, who spent much of the Pol Pot era a virtual prisoner in the royal palace, said he was unaware of the Khmer Rouge's worst excesses which included the killing of about one million Cambodians. Among those who died were five of Sihanouk's own children, and at least 15 grandchildren. In early , Vietnam invaded Cambodia and, once again, Sihanouk fled into exile in China. He refused to break with the Khmer Rouge who still held much military power.
In , the Vietnamese withdrew. Sihanouk was at the centre of complex negotiations involving royalists, the Khmer Rouge and Hun Sen, the Vietnamese-backed prime minister, to form a new government.
Though he cajoled and joked his way through these talks - Sihanouk occasionally brought his poodle to the negotiations - his performance was judged by many to be a triumph of diplomacy. In , Sihanouk was appointed president, then two years later, amid the numerous twists and turns of Cambodian politics, he was, for the second time, crowned King, a position he retained until his abdication in October due to ill health. Sihanouk did an about face on the Khmer Rouge, roundly condemning them as murderers, calling for their leaders to face trial and seeking to exclude them from any role in government.
In his later years, often absent from his country to undergo medical treatment for cancer and a series of mild strokes, Sihanouk was seen less and less by his people.
Levy AP. King Sihanouk was 18 years old when he succeeded King Monivong and Cambodia was still a French colony. After his father died in , Sihanouk became the head of state.
Prince Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodian Chief of State shown during the week he and his country celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Independence of Cambodia in November It was also the week of the Prince's 47th birthday. Horst Faas AP. Lon Nol led a coup in March , overthrowing Sihanouk while he was in Moscow.
Sihanouk initially supported the Khmer Rouge regime and was installed as head of state by the communists, but resigned in as his relationship with them declined rapidly. He spent the rest of the regime as a de facto prisoner of the Khmer Rouge, who wreaked havoc on the country, killing or starving to death an estimated 1.
Sihanouk continued to play a key role in Cambodian politics after Vietnam invaded Cambodia and overthrew the Khmer Rouge regime in He played a leading role in negotiating the Paris Peace Accords in Although the constitution prohibits the royal family from direct involvement in political affairs, Sihanouk remained influential and was an enduring symbol of Cambodia until his death on October 15, The prime minister says his party and ordinary Cambodians are uncertain about what will happen once his decades-long rule ends.
The United States says it will take further action against the government of Cambodia following a landslide victory for the ruling party. The European Union, Canada and Australia also condemn the election. Cambodians head to the polls for an election from which the government has banned the only viable opposition party. Cambodian political parties wind up their campaigning ahead of a general election expected to be an easy victory for the ruling party. Japan says it won't send election monitors to Cambodia for the July 29 vote even though Tokyo, a major donor to the Southeast Asian nation, has sent observers to many previous elections.
The government orders fines or even the arrest of people who uploads images on social media as part of an opposition-organized campaign to boycott the vote. Cyberattackers are caught hacking key Cambodian government institutions in what is strongly believed to be a coordinated Chinese government assault ahead of the July 29 national elections, according to an investigation by FireEye, a U. Electioneering kicks off for the July 29 national elections. Twenty political parties are registered to participate.
At the U. It includes a ban on asking detailed questions about results. The U. Sam Rainsy said the movement's plan includes ensuring free and fair elections in Cambodia in July.
Opposition leader Kem Sokha is arrested at his Phnom Penh home for alleged treason. The government accuses him of conspiring with the U.
The Cambodian government forces the U. The National Assembly passes bill barring political parties from having any formal affiliation with convicted criminals. Sam Rainsy, the self-exiled leader of the CNRP, resigns in an attempt to save the party from dissolution after Prime Minister Hun Sen threatens to change the law to enable the government to dissolve parties with officials who have committed criminal offenses.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentences Kem Sokha to five months in prison over a case involving prostitution charges that are believed to be politically motivated. Kem Sokha does not appear in court.
Kem Ley, a well-known political activist and government critic, is shot dead in broad daylight at a petrol station in central Phnom Penh, in what police say is a personal dispute over money, a claim his wife denies. Kem Sokha goes into hiding at the CNRP headquarters to avoid arrest after being accused of procuring a prostitute.
Four officials with the human rights group Adhoc, as well as the deputy secretary-general of the National Election Committee, are arrested for involvement with the alleged prostitution case against Kem Sokha. The government strips Sam Rainsy of his lawmaker status and immunity while the opposition leader is traveling outside Cambodia. The move paves the way for arresting him in connection with a defamation case.
Cambodia's National Assembly approves a controversial law that critics say gives authorities sweeping power to crack down on civil society groups challenging the government. An overhauled National Election Committee, created by bipartisan agreement, moves to spearhead electoral reform. Military police crack down on CNRP and garment worker protest, ending months of street demonstrations that leave at least four people dead.
The CPP wins the remaining 68 seats. The CNRP rejects the results and launches a high-profile boycott of parliament. King Norodom Sihanouk dies of a heart attack. He was 89 years old, and had spent most of his time after abdicating in outside Cambodia, favoring Beijing and Pyongyang. Cambodia holds its second commune elections.
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